Some 200 rockets were fired Saturday from Gaza into Israel, leading to Israeli raids that left four Palestinians dead, including a baby and her pregnant mother according to sources in the Palestinian enclave, a surge of violence that fears a new conflict.
It is one of the largest single-day rockets fired at Israel in recent years of violence between Palestinian armed groups including Hamas in power in Gaza and the Jewish state.
An 80-year-old Israeli woman severely hit by shrapnel
Since the morning, about 200 rockets have been fired from Gaza into southern and central Israel, but dozens have been intercepted by the Israeli missile defense system, the army said. Much of the rockets fell on uninhabited areas, the police said. An 80-year-old Israeli woman was severely hit by shrapnel in the fall of a rocket at Kyriat Gat, 20 km from Gaza, and a 50-year-old Israeli was injured by a rocket blast in Ashkelon. the police said. In addition to Ashdod and Ashkelon, the usual targets for gunfire from Gaza due to their proximity to the Palestinian enclave, rockets were fired at towns in the center of the country near Modiin and Rehovot.
Palestinian side, a 14-month-old baby and his pregnant mother were killed
During the most severe violence in weeks, four Palestinians were killed and seven wounded in Israeli raids, according to the Hamas ministry of health. A 14-month-old Palestinian girl and her pregnant mother were killed in a raid that hit their home in eastern Gaza, according to the source and relatives. "Falastine Abu Arar, 37 years old and pregnant, died after being wounded in the head," said the Gaza ministry.
120 targets targeted in Gaza
In the evening, the sirens continued to ring in the Israeli areas bordering Gaza, according to the army. Police called residents to go to shelters with each alert. In response to the rocket fire, the air force targeted 120 positions of Hamas and its ally, Islamic Jihad, the other Palestinian group in Gaza, according to a military statement. Israeli tanks attacked several Hamas military posts. In this escalating context, Israel has announced the closure of crossing points with Gaza and fishing areas in the Palestinian enclave, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held consultations with key security officials.
Islamic Jihad claimed the launch of part of the rockets and said it was ready to continue the firing. In a video broadcast on social networks, the group's armed wing threatened to attack several strategic Israeli sites, including Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. An Islamic Jihad source has also reported on a mediation from Egypt, which mediates between Hamas and Israel, to try to calm the situation, while the holy month of Ramadan Muslim fast begins in days to come.
EU calls for "immediate stop" of Palestinian rocket fire
In Brussels, the EU has called for an "immediate halt" of Palestinian rocket fire, adding that it supports "the efforts of Egypt and the UN to calm the situation". Israel and its nemesis Hamas have waged three wars since 2008. A ceasefire, announced by Hamas, was negotiated in late March under the auspices of Egypt and the UN, allowing a recovery of calm during the Israeli legislative elections of 9 April. Three factors could push Israel to try to calm the game: the ongoing negotiations to form a coalition government after the victory of Benjamin Netanyahu in elections, the Eurovision planned in Tel Aviv mid-May, and the celebrations of the creation of the State of Israel Thursday.
At least 272 Palestinians killed since March 2018
Since March 2018, demonstrations have been taking place in Gaza along the barrier separating Gaza from Israel against the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave and the return of Palestinian refugees who have been displaced or have left their lands for the creation of Israel. in 1948. At least 272 Palestinians have been killed since then, during demonstrations or in Israeli strikes of reprisals for hostile acts from Gaza. Two Israeli soldiers were killed. Israel accuses Hamas of orchestrating these demonstrations and argues that the soldiers are only protecting the border.